News and Notes From Korea

South Korea Readies for Artillery Drills on Disputed Sea Border

South Korea hasn’t decided when it will next hold artillery exercises on Yeonpyeong, said a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff who declined to be identified, citing military policy. The National Intelligence Service believes North Korea may launch another attack on the South, Grand National Party lawmaker Rhee Beum Kwan said, citing testimony to parliament this week by the spy-agency’s director, Won Sei-Hoon.

All indications are the leadership transition is still the primary reason for potential attacks in the future. I am unsure if suggesting there might be new attacks based leadership transition in North Korea is new information.

S. Korea deploys missiles on Yeonpyeong Island

"The Cheonma missiles are being installed at a military unit on Yeonpyeong Island," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The first surface-to-air missile developed by South Korea, the Cheonma (Pegasus) has an effective shooting range of 10 kilometers, according to military officials.

Given the tension around the island over the past year, perhaps the first question should be why those missiles were not already there.

Mullen calls out China, rejects talks with North Korea

The nation’s top military officer challenged China to respond forcefully to North Korea’s recent attacks on South Korea and rejected Beijing’s calls for a return to negotiations with Kim Jong Il’s regime.

“There is significant leverage [China] could apply to avoiding escalations and improving this troubling situation,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Washington think tank on Wednesday. “We need China to step up.”

A consistent message across leadership inside the Obama administration is emerging - this time is different. The six party talks are unlikely to resume until China takes meaningful action. China has still not made a firm commitment or comment following the attack on Yeonpyeong Island, and I do not expect China to say anything until meetings with Chairman of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly Choe Tae-bok are concluded Saturday. Will China call Obama's bluff? If so, then what?

Video of Mullen here. Noteworthy Mullen called out China while speaking at the Center for American Progress. Also noteworthy Japan and China are trading barbs on the upcoming exercise, and Japan is accusing China of defending North Korean actions at the UN.

A flight deck view of war games in the Yellow Sea

The man in charge of the whole exercise, Commander of the George Washington Strike Group, Admiral Dan Cloyd, says this stands as a deterrent to any future aggression.

"We're here to demonstrate our commitment to the Republic of Korea and to demonstrate our collective deterrence to North Korea and their provocations. This helps build our readiness with Republic of Korea forces."

There is a fantastic video in that article worth watching. Note how the surface radar impacts the audio.